Terrified passengers on a packed tourist flight saw how an Airbus A321 engine caught fire moments before take-off.
The crew immediately aborted the flight to Vietnam as 208 people, including 27 children, were evacuated at Tolmachevo Airport in the Russian city of Novosibirsk.
Worried passengers said the engine made a popping sound before igniting in flames as the plane was at the start of the runway.
“It was like a car that doesn’t want to start,” one person said.
Videos filmed from inside the plane showed the flames in the engine with passengers on board the flight at midnight.
Sergei Sh, a passenger on the plane, said: "I sat on the right side and saw a flash.
“There was no panic.
“But there were also no announcements for about five minutes.”
Another said: "It was scary seeing the flames."
The Airbus belonging to S7 Airlines - in the same Oneworld alliance as British Airways - was taking off for Cam Ranh.
The crew used the plane’s anti-fire system to extinguish the engine blaze as fire appliances and emergency services rushed to the scene.
An S7 spokesman said: “The crew activated the system for putting out the fire, and the plane was returned to terminal.
“Another aircraft was assigned for this flight.
“This plane has been taken for urgent technical service.”
The Airbus involved in the incident had been in service for 13 months.
